PSC 05-12-2016CUPERTINO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, May 12, 2016, 6:00 p.m.
Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A
I. CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Huang called to order this regular meeting of the Cupertino Public Safety
Commission at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2016 in the Cupertino City Hall,
Conference Room A, located at 10300 Torre A venue, Cupertino, California 95014.
II. ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present: Andy Huang
Gerald Tallinger
Robert McCoy
Bob Cascone
Neha Sahai
Commissioners Absent: None
Staff Present: Captain Rick Sung, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Acting Battalion Chief Shanna Kuempel
Staff Absent: Deputy Chief John Justice, Santa Clara County Fire Department
Others Present: None
III. REPORTS
1. Santa Clara County Fire Department
Acting Battalion Chief Shanna Kuempel ensures that commissioners have already reviewed the
monthly fire report electronically. She highlights that call responses during April were average
and there were 11 fires in Cupertino. One fire centered on a garage door, incurring a $12,000
loss; another fire occurred on a transformer attached to a PG&E pole, incurring an estimated
$6,000 loss. A larger fire occurred on a fence between residences at night, only scorching the
adjacent structures but incurring an estimated $18,000 loss. Arson investigators found no cause
or origination point, marking this :incident suspicious. There have also been various small
campsite and trashcan/rubbish fires in the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve which is a trend
that Arson Investigators and Fire Captains are monitoring closely.
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2. · Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
Captain Sung reviews the April 2016 report. Response times for all three levels of Priority Calls
for Services were well within set standards. Robbery numbers are extremely low ~ only 2 in the ·
last four months. Residential burglary statistics are on track to match 2014 numbers, which is
lower than last year. Deputies have made a lot of arrests, finding that most suspects alfeady
have active warrants for drug and property charges, and many are being found with stolen
prescription medication from homes they've burgled. Captain Sung relays the story of a foiled
burglary incident, in which the security guard for a local residential complex, with exterisive
martial arts training, successfully fought and detained a burglar until deputies arrived.
Commissioner McCoy adds that this same person foiled a multi-vehicle burglary incident a few
years ago! After Captain -Sung also describes a recent critical incident and ongoing
investigation, Commissioner McCoy conveys his appreciation for the dedicated SROs who have
been leading the first Citizens' Academy. He was very impressed how they still taught class
that same day, coming directly from the critical incident.
Captain Sung reports that criminal activity has already begun to increase at the currently
abandoned Valko Mall. Copper theft from the property is on the rise. Vallco Security has
increased its guards on duty, and they have been kicking people out of the abandoned spaces
constantly, including juveniles and transients. Captain Sung has advised Valko Security to call
the Sheriff's Office each time they must remove someone from the property so all these
incide1~ts can be logged into the official public record.
3. Commission Reports .
Comni.i~sioner Sahai inquires about a damaged sign on De Anza Blvd:, wondering if it was
.vandalized. Captain Sung explains it was damaged in a vehicle crash and there are insurance
issues delaying repair but tl1e City is working on resolving the matter: Commissioner Sahai also
mentions the intersection of Stevens Creek and Pasadena needs a stop sign because the traffic
from Foo~ill Blvd. has become worse and students often try to cross the road there.
Commissioner Tallinger interjects that Mayor Chang, at the last Mayor's Meeting, asked the
PSC to look into traffic issues and make reco1mnendations for changes. Captain Sung offers to
have deputies do targeted enforcement in that area to raise awareness, and look into whether
the City is willing to conduct a traffic survey for that intersection. Cmmnissioner McCoy
suggests inviting David Stillman. to speak at the next PSC Meeting and review what
improvements may already be planned.
Commissioner McCoy ·attended the City Council meeting, learning of an Impact report for a
possible new hotel. The Planning Con\inission approved TI1e Hamptons project at Prune~idge
and Wolfe to demolish. the existing 349 un:j.ts in phases and build 949 new units. Planning
stipulated that they must provide 2 full car spaces per unit, mstead of the proposed ·1.8 car
spaces. The project will include a community amenity called "The Hub", situated on the corner
and consisting of a bike rest stop/repair shop, juice bar, and will be open to the public.
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Commissioner Tallinger reports that the Bicycle-Pedestrian Commission finalized the Bike Plan.
He attended another community Wildfire Protection Plan meeting; the Fire Department is
continuing to ask for input from the community. At the Mayor's Meeting, all c01mnissions were
asked whether they had any usage requests for the new Hills at Vallco project. The Library is
proud that they now offer online access to the New York Times through their website. The
Parks & Recreation Commission is revisiting the Stevens Creek Corridor Plan with an online
survey, asking for public input. Commissioner Tallinger mentions he would personally like to
see installation of a performing arts center. The Planning Commission had no public safety
related topics. The TICC is hosting another hack-a-than, and looking into developing apps that
could utilize the City's GIS data. The Sustainability Commission attended the Mayor's Meeting
for the first time, reporting they are still working on goals, one of which is placing speakers in
the Library. Regarding the Mayor's indication that he would like the PSC to address traffic
issues, commissioners discuss seeking more clarification before proceeding. Acting B.C.
Kuempel suggests putting together a heat map of accident locations to assist i11 traffic analysis.
Commissioner Cascone reports that the City's Office of Emergency Services is undergoing
additional reorganization and there are three people leaving. County OES brought in a
consultant to give a two-day class on disaster cost recovery; Cupertino hosted the class at the
Quinlan Center. The next Cupertino Disaster Council meeting is coming up on May 26th.
Cupertino Citizen Corp did an exercise based on a c01mnm1ications outage and relying on Pack-
It radio, which is like a low-grade email through a radio frequency. It went well and generated
useful information.
Commissioner Cascone brings up a question from the last PSC meeting, regarding the chain of
contact that should be followed to notify the City of an emergency/critical event or CERT
activation. No clarification has been received yet, beyond the first few top persmrnel. Critical
incidents have repeatedly sparked difficulties in notifications.
Commissioners and Captain Sung discuss the rules about how many c01mnissioners can attend
events at the same time. They may attend City sponsored events in larger numbers, but the
upcoming Burglary Suppression event on May 26th at 3:00pm is a PSC-sponsored event and
only two may attend at most. Captain Sung will send an email to verify who plans to attend.
IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
There are no Oral Communications to report at this regular meeting.
V. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
There are no Written Communications to report at this regular meeting.
VI.APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. April 14, 2016
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ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: MCCOY SECONDED: TALLINGER 5 to 0
Commissioner McCoy motioned to approve the minutes of April 14, 2016; Commissioner
Tallinger seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to approve the minutes of April 14,
2016.
VII. OLD BUSINESS
1. Discuss participation in the Alert SCC Program., the CAS Program., and the Pulse Points App
(Huang/McCoy)
ACTION: NO
VOTE: NO
MOTION:N/A SECONDED: N/ A 0 to 0
Chair Huang presents an update on sign-ups for CAS and AlertSCC. There have been very few
events to boost numbers lately. Commissioner Tallinger mentions an idea from Robert Kirn
about having the sign-up form automatically populate an encrypted spreadsheet so no internet
connection is needed at events. Commissioner McCoy suggests a mobile kiosk for sign-ups,
which could be moved from the Library to a Fair to the Quinlan Center depending on events
and would not require direct supervision. Commissioners Sahai and McCoy confirm they will
work the PSC booth at The Forum's health fair on June 41h.
2. Discuss the Continuation of Public Education and Outreach (Tallinger/McCoy)
ACTION: YES .
VOTE: NO
MOTION:N/A SECONDED: NIA 0 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger presents a drafted press release for the Cupertino Courier regarding
the upcoming PSC Burglary Suppression information forum, asking for input and who must
give approval. Captain Sung recommends he submit it two weeks prior to publishing. The
Courier will also list the event in the Special Events section. The Cupertino Scene event
advertisement for June is already done, Cupertino Radio has scheduled am1ouncements, and
Cupertino TV has a video ad to run .in their loop. Detective Roggia from the Sheriff's Office will
give a presentation at the event, and Deputy Gor will serve as the Mandarin interpreter
courtesy of the Sheriff's Office. They are working on a very interesting presentation. City
Council will help promote the event through Facebook and Twitter. There are also a limited
number of flyers, soine of which were handed out at Cupertino Day by Neighborhood Watch
members. He plans to approach the Cupertino Union and Fremont Union School Districts to
note the event in their newsletters with the angle 'Keep your Kids Safe'. City Channel will post
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to NextDoor and CAS, plus he'd like to have Block leaders hand out more flyers. He
emphasizes that timing is crucial in getting these messages out close to the event.
a. Discuss how to align public safety outreach and established County materials.
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION:N/A SECONDED: N/ A
There are no updates discussed at this regular meeting.
3. Discuss the Collaboration/Cross-Training of Volunteer Groups
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION:N/A SECONDED: N/A
There are no updates discussed at this regular meeting.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
1. Discuss the Transition of the Dero (formerly Boltage) program
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: CASCONE
0 to 0
0 to 0
0 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger reports that he was updating the three units stored at Kennedy Middle
School to place new batteries, but he found one had a blue light missing and wires partially
ripped off. The other two are fine and he intends to work towards installation this summer.
Chelsea will be taking over this program soon under the Safe Routes to Schools program.
2. Discuss a possibility of starting a Fire Watch Council and Firewise Program
ACTION: NO
VOTE: NO
MOTION:N/A SECONDED: N/A
There are no updates discussed at this regular meeting.
0 to 0
3. Discuss reporting of crimes/fires/incidents and situational awareness with plastic wallet
cards/fridge magnets. (McCoy)
ACTION: NO
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VOTE: NO
MOTION:N/A SECONDED: N/ A 5to 0
Commissioner McCoy states that he has had difficulty in finding good quality free images to
use for publication. The pictures that are worth using cost from 12 cents to 1 dollar, so it would
require City approval to purchase. There are 4-6 he'd like to use on the cards/magnets. Another
issue is trying to find a modern phone symbol because most pictograms still use a rotary phone
graphic. Commissioner Tallinger suggested using drawings instead, and Commissioner McCoy
agreed, saying he thought the City could host a contest for drawings. Commissioners then
discuss pictograms further, and limited use copyrights, plus possible message content for the
cards/magnets. Commissioner McCoy will continue to work on this project.
IX. FUTURE AGENDA FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING
1. Discuss Reports from County Fire, County Sheriff's Office and Commission Liaisons.
2. Discuss promotion plans for CAS, AlertSCC and the Pulse Points App. (Huang/McCoy)
3. Discuss the continuation of public education and outreach. (Tallinger/McCoy)
a. Discuss event plans for Information Forums
b. Discuss reporting of crimes/fires/incidents and situational awareness with wallet
cards/fridge magnets
4. Discuss the collaboration/cross training of volunteer groups. (All)
5. Discuss the transition to the Bicycle-Pedestrian Commission of the Dero (formerly Boltage)
program for schools to the Bicycle-Pedestrian Commission. (Tallinger)
6. Discuss a possibility of starting a Fire Watch Council and Firewise Program. (All)
7. Discuss submitting a request for a monthly report from Cupertino OES (Office of Emergency
Services). (Cascone)
X. ADJOURNMENT
This regular meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
XI. NEXT MEETING
'TI-1e next Regular Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 6:00 p.n1.
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SUBMITTED BY:
Jennifer Roth
Executive Assistant
West Valley Patrol Division
Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff
May 17, 2016
APPROVED BY:
~ Andy Huang, Commission Chair Date
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